Waste of money

Posted: September 5, 2011 - 3:27pm

What is the real purpose of revitalizing our downtown area? We’ve been told: “It is to boost our local economy. It is necessary to woo enterprise into Amarillo. The money needs be spent now, so the city can have more revenue in the future.” I don’t accept these explanations.

The only true benefit I envision is the improved aesthetics of the downtown area. I agree that a prettier downtown will be easy on the eyes, but is this reason enough to proceed with a project that will cost more than $100 million?

I’m sure my critics say it won’t cost taxpayers any extra money.

Seriously? It will be a great cost to Amarillo’s citizens. Downtown will be torn up for years. Can you imagine the detours that will be in place? How much extra time and fuel will that cost taxpayers?

How about revitalizing some of our existing parks? At Belmar Park, I can’t find one area in the whole park that is suitable to have a soccer practice.

How about reconstructing 58th Avenue between Western and Washington? Over the past five or six years, the cracks in the street have caused hundreds of dollars in damage to my vehicles.

If our city has money to burn, it should improve areas of town that people actually live in and currently use that could really benefit from revitalization.

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is that if a city council memeber utilized any of the places you mentioned, thy would find the funds to do it, but since they are making big profits off the downtown fiasco, that is where they will spend YOUR money, so they can make theirs.

This deal is a textbook example of graft and corruption by those in power and they are going to have their way regardless of the impact to the taxpayers. Beyond that, it's a foolish, short-sighted diversion of resources that could be better used elsewhere in the city, as the author points out. Anyone who seriously believes that this project isn't going to cost the Amarillo taxpayers money in the end (figuratively and literally) ought to check into some of that "oceanfront property in Arizona", as the song says. The group's chief apologist, the paper, is already laying the groundwork that taxpayer money will "obviously" be needed to support the project through things like infrastructure improvements. The WB Group may have big-timed the commissioners and played them for fools, but anyone who seriously believes their claims that this won't result in higher taxes for the citizens of Amarillo is an even bigger one.

Amarillo doesn't qualify as a banana republic, you not liking the election results does not mean it's all that bad. There are elections, people have the opportunity to run in the elections and to vote in the elections for whichever candidates they wish,.

And the Foolish Four will be remembered not by the bronze name plate on the baseball park. They will however be remembered for selling out the citizens of Amarillo. I don't plan to forget and I will take every opportunity to remind ohers of their black deed.

Well Dennis, I guess you should have voted for someone else. I think that people like you that [filtered word], [filtered word] and [filtered word] have nothing better to do than sit around and be bitter. Get out of the house once in a while.

I don't think so. Some people (welldadgum for one) will just shut up and do what they are told even when they should know better. It is true that they have us over a barrel and we can't stop it but, I don't have to like it and I sure wont forget it. And, I'm not going to let you forget either so get use to it. And as for Jubilation T. Harpole and the Foolish Four, may Yellow Liquid forever drip on their heads.

Ummm, Dennis, I'm pretty sure 5FF was being facetious. He/she has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the downtown revitalization plan. Some folks think that since it appears to be a done deal, folks in Amarillo should get on board with the plan and suggest ways to make it better - just lie back and enjoy it, like ol' Claytie Williams suggested about rape. I guess the Titanic looked better while it was sinking since the deck chairs were all arranged nicely. Just because something is inevitable doesn't mean it is right, or that people should stand by and give tacit approval to something they think is wrong. Just my opinion, of course.

The problem with government and taxes and development is that it is too abstract.

People don't know where each dollar goes and don't feel it until it is tax time. Then they resign themselves to paying.

Really, this downtown deal can be done without further government support. It should be a private deal. Interest rates are at an all time low. If people think there is a return on investment, then all those property owners should band together, create a corporation, fund it with low interest loans and make investments. Then charge people when they use it and recover the investment.

There is so much cheap cash floating in the economy and I guarantee the dollars chase positive cashflow investments. You know what is a good investment? Housing rentals. Build apartments downtown to get the people to live there. If you can't get people to live there, how to do you expect people to visit?

Can Amarillo cut it as a convention destination city? This is a "if you build it, they will come" situation, isn't it? I suppose it could work, I just hope the city council and planners have the statistics somewhere to show that the bookings will happen once the civic center, accommodations, and aesthetics are in place. It's a big gamble but could pay off (many years in the future) with increased air service, a bustling downtown, hotel and restaurant jobs. It would give us a chance to show off our naturally friendly Texas charms to the business travellers from all over and hopefully draw new industry. Let's step up and do it right. purpleliberal is right that the time to borrow is now, let's go whole hog and build a sweet little domed stadium and get the baseball attendance up while we're at it.

Or, take this huge chunk of money and redevelop great swaths of Amarillo's sad, delapidated neighborhoods, and take care of the schools, clinics, community centers, parks, ponds, gardens, sidewalks, and all the other necessary amenities a nice city needs.